Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors.
Parallel translations
- WEB The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer with discretion.
- KJV The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.
- BSB The slacker is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.
- NKJV The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can answer sensibly.
- NASB A lazy one is wiser in his own eyes Than seven people who can give a discreet answer.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The sluggard thinks himself wiser than seven discerning men. Laziness is often paired with self-deceived conceit.
Overview
Despite his obvious failures, the sluggard imagines himself superior to many wise counselors, linking sloth to the pride condemned in verse 12. Self-flattery blinds him to his true condition. The proverb exposes the deceitfulness of a heart unwilling to receive correction.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Prov 26:12Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- 1 Pet 3:15But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with humility and fear:
- Prov 12:15The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who is wise listens to counsel.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 26:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.